Sunday, July 26, 2015

Wow, it has been a long time since I got to work on the magazine that really launched my latest foray into the realm of fantasy illustration. I have +Bryan Fazekas to thank mostly, and hopefully he knows how much I appreciate his attention to my artwork some time ago, when he asked me to contribute.

I simply love what & Magazine stands for, and that is why I still contribute pieces to them (us), on a somewhat quarterly basis.

Anyway, here is one of the images that will grace the next issue, hopefully due out soon. A quickling adventurer.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2015.

For this guy I wanted to capture the feel of the old AD&D quickling, but I didnt want him to be running, as the original one was. I dont know, I guess I wanted to convey that he was fast, just by his very nature.

I kept the overly large "elf" ears, and largish head, as well as his long feet, and lithe body. Making him an appropriate adventurer I added a kit of sword and leaf shield.

The background was simple, just some out of focus bushed, and weeds. a simple stone ground, and the work was complete.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Not that it has been a secret, I was announced on the Lost City of Gaxmoor kickstarter page as rendering some Isometrics, similar to the Roving Eye Tavern, Norwind Arms Exchange, and Proudfoot & Archer one that I did for & Magazine, but I have the initial render sketch, and a few inked in pages for the Black Feather's Inn. A villa within the city. I didnt want to share any of this until I got a response back from Troll Lord, and as we speak the initial sketch was pasted up to the kickstarter, and they have the initial black and white first floor as well.

These take some time to flesh out. First having isometric grid paper from Alvin helps a ton. This I did not have during the & Magazine pieces and I had to draw the grids myself. What a pain that was. Check out the Alvin site, they have a ton of different isometric and regular grid papers.

Here is the first sketch I sent in.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Troll Lord Games 2015.

This place is quite large, with a ton of pillars, and stairs, it was a challenge but I kept my head about me, and kept working. A word of note for those wanting a bit of technique. I always start these as a full sketch, and each thing I put into the rooms; doors, windows, pillars, room dressings, etc, I sketch in pencil first. It's like I am drawing everything twice, so these take a ton of time. Stairs I often have to sketch several times before they are "right" to my eye.

Also, I always start from the closest points to me. In this case the lower part of the page and work my way up, that way i am rendering objects behind eachother and it keeps the perspective, and i have the ability to move things around so that aestetically it is appealing. I try to keep in mind someone only glancing at the page, as well as someone truly studying everything in each room.

I try and clutter up the rooms, without cluttering up the rooms, and remember that there are walls there (as represented by the traditional black lines) and sometimes I lean swords, packs, staves or other objects against them.

Here is the completed first floor, without shading.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2105. Licensed to Troll Lord Games 2015.

I had carte blanche control over what was in the interior, as many of the notes were destroyed in Ernie's fire. So I had to go on a bit of a whim, hunch, and instinct. I have designed enough Inn's so I have a good feel for what goes where, and how they are typically situated. I kept these lower rooms, kind of simple, some offices, a library, the open area garden was part of the description, as well as the fireplaces.

I also added in a small kitchen, and a few dining rooms, and gathering points. There is even a wine bottle rack and sitting room. It being a villa, I figured that would be a nice touch.

Only the back wall shows up as 3D and everything else pops from the floor. I added four guardsmen in front of the stoop as the description called for them to be near there. Overall I am please with the way it turned out.

There is more to be done, however, shading, and completing the second floor, as well as the two basements and the roof top elevations.

I will keep you posted, in the mean time check out the kickstarter, and websites above.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Continuing work on +Steve C 's Hogtown Games Project the "Purple Mushroom Inn". This has been a fun project to work, on and has spurred some images in my head, that are showing up on the page very well.

I am grateful for the continued support from all of you who read my blog, and enjoy my artwork. Thanks, as well as those of you who have gone the extra mile and hired me to illustrate your words and works. It is appreciated.

Onto the art!

Here is the latest creation for Hogtown Games. A ruins in the swamp.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Hogtown Games 2015.

There are all sorts of details here, from the statuary to the cat tails, to the leaves, and lilly pads. I had fun doing this illustration, just being let loose to go wild.

Bob Ross (the famed afro wearing painter) used to talk about creating beautiful little worlds for all of his pretty little creatures. I think of Bob alot, when I am creating my horrifying little worlds, with all of their disfigured little creatures.

Let me know what you liked best about this one! I am curious to see some of your comments.

Monday, July 6, 2015

Continuing work on +Steve CHogtown Games "The Purple Mushroom Inn" module. Steve wanted an overgrown hill placed in the same fungus encrusted forest that the Inn was in, and a few guardians.

Here is the final.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Hogtown Games 2015.

All the little details took some time to render, but it was definitely worth the effort. The pebbly path leads up through thick vegetation overgrown with vines, and the monster within awaits. I particularly wanted to come up with some new fungus so I added in the round ball type things after looking online at a few references. I plopped a stump up atop the hillock and covered it with shrooms as well.

My wife particularly liked the short fat guardian, she thought he was "Cute", not sure an adventuring party would think that he is cute after he rips their arms off. It seems that everytime I make the effort to try and make something vile, she says its cute. Maybe she needs to see an optician. But I digress.

The clouds were sort of an experiment. I think they turned out good, but could have been a bit more foreboding. I will try better next time.

Anyhow, this is only one of several interiors that I have done for this project, including my previous entry "The Purple Mushroom Inn" itself.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

+Steve C of Hogtown Games and DnDBorderlands blog asked me to illustrate an inn shaped like, in fact made from a giant mushroom for a forthcoming RPG module/supplement. I have done several drawings for Steve on this project, and I am grateful for his support, and the fact that he is very easy to work with.

Without further ado here is the B&W only final image of the Purple Mushroom Inn.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Hogtown Games 2015.

I started with only slight direction on this one. He wanted a giant mushroom shaped inn, with a large balcony area, several windows, and an area around the trunk where guests could reside. He required an Ogre Maitre-D' in a tuxedo, standing in front of a sort of sci-fi portal.

He wanted it situated in a giant mushroom forest and near the end of the project he decided he wanted something coming from the back of the forest, sort of foreboding.

I am particularly fond of the tentacled creatures that we settled on, they are mysterious and at the same time lethal looking. There are many different mushrooms, of all sizes and one even has a giant bite out of it.

Here is the greyscale image.

Copyright Del Teigeler 2015. Licensed to Hogtown Games 2015.

I added the smaller "cottage" for the Ogre to reside, and textured the ground with some simple straight line hatching.